With temperatures of over 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit) outside, the Snozone indoor ski resort in Spain offers a cool escape. An icy breeze in the lobby and a polar bear at the entrance plunge summer visitors into another world at the Xanadu shopping centre south of Madrid. "It's a bit strange. It's true that in terms of the environmental impact, it's not too environmentally friendly, but what we're looking for here is performance and skiing," says ski instructor Thomas Barataud. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES